This invention relates to a powered roller conveyor for light loads which is especially convenient for carrying up slopes light-weight loads, such as synthetic resin containers having a bottom area of approximately 400 mm.times.300 mm or cardboard boxes of a similar size accommodating contents weighing 15 to 60 Kg.
The primary object of the invention is, therefore, to provide inexpensive conveyor rollers, that can be manufactured easily and without much labor and that utilize existing conventional equipment, to provide a powered roller conveyor excellent for conveying light loads along rather steep slopes.
According to the invention, the conveyor rollers can be manufactured, adapting the manufacturing method of resin-coated steel pipes (through such simple adaptation as replacement of coating material and molds for extrusion forming), by covering steel pipes with soft polyurethane rubber which excels in slip prevention, and by forming the surface of the rollers in such a way that the section of the rollers has an undulating outer periphery having protruding ridges which extend axially and parallel to form a jagged surface. This type of arrangement requires no new equipment nor much additional labor for manufacturing the rollers, and therefore contributes to the cost reduction for the roller conveyor. Further, a roller conveyor using these rollers allows a large maximum acclivity in the conveyor line and is quite suited to conveying loads upwardly along a rather steep slope. The roller conveyor, owing to the material used in the manufacture of such rollers, does not make much noise through contact of the roller surfaces and the bottoms of carried containers and thereby contributes to a quiet environment. Moreover, since the rollers and other members that constitute the conveyor are made of resin-coated steel pipes, the conveyor has excellent water-resistant qualities and a wide range of applications.
Another object of the invention is to provide a roller conveyor which guarantees a sure and safe conveyance, has an enhanced conveying performance and yet is low-priced.